Austin Barnes

Recent Articles by Austin Barnes

Kohrs: Genesis matters in the startup vs. small business debate

April 12, 2016

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   What’s the real difference between a startup and a small business? There’s been a lot of people talking about this since the term “startup” first joined our vernacular during the dot-com bubble. I think it’s because our brains are wired to categorize…

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Fund me, KC: MyCroft AI to take on Amazon Echo, Siri

April 12, 2016

Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs —  like MyCroft AI CEO Joshua Montgomery — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by…

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The Lean Lab partners with 4.0 Schools to innovate KC education

April 11, 2016

More than 100 years ago, our education system was designed and built to prepare an early-1900s workforce for the industrial age. Today, children are learning with iPads and Youtube, but the bones of the traditional liberal arts structure remain similar to what our great-grandparents experienced. Local education innovation incubator The Lean Lab hopes to change…

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Google Fiber nixes free Internet offering in Kansas City

April 11, 2016

It’s often said there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And in Google’s case, there’s no such thing a free fiber connection — at least anymore. The tech titan last week nixed its free Internet offering, which dished out download speeds of 5 megabits-per-second and upload speeds of 1 mbps. Google has offered the…

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When your tech becomes an expensive paperweight

April 8, 2016

Here’s this week’s dish on expensive paperweights, company culture and bootstrapping. Check out more in this series here.   The Verge: Nest is permanently disabling the Revolv smart home hub In a shot across the bows of any early-adopter interested in startup tech, Nest announced that it’s shutting down Revolv’s IoT smart home hub. Google-owned…

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QM Power snags $9M round for high-tech electric motor

April 8, 2016

Kansas City-based QM Power recently raised significant capital to accelerate development of its electric motor that the company says will transform its industry.   The tech firm raised $9.06 million from undisclosed investors to boost development of the “Q-Sync Smart Synchronous Motor.” QM Power says the motor is as much as 80 percent more efficient…

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After ‘largest product launch ever,’ Tesla attracts KC futurists

April 7, 2016

In a week, electric car maker Tesla has spurred an automotive ardor whose fervor may only be rivaled by the replacement of horses with the Ford Model T. Tesla’s new Model 3 has received more than 325,000 pre-orders in seven days, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales. The sales represent the…

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Events Preview: Start Fest, HBD Village Square

April 7, 2016

There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW     Start Fest When: April 8 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: KCKCC Technical Education Center It is time for…

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Kansas City Design Week convenes community for creatives

April 7, 2016

A quick trek through the Crossroads Arts District effortlessly affirms that Kansas City is a hub for creativity. And with Kansas City Design Week, those creative-types have a hub of their own. The KCDW, set for April 7 through 16, brings together a plethora of creative minds to challenge skills, connect designers with business resources…

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Kansas City’s Five Elms injects $4M in Omaha startup

April 6, 2016

Kansas City-based Five Elms Capital recently led a round of financing for an Omaha blog-hosting startup. Five Elms led a $4 million round for Flywheel, allowing the startup to add features to its platform for designers and agencies, as well as beef up marketing and sales operations. Linseed Capital and the Nebraska Angels, a network…

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